Dr. Mercola July 22 2008 179,787 views
Dr, Kaayla Daniel and Dr. Galen Knight have observed that even when people follow healthy dietary guidelines, they can still have serious health problems. They may digest their food poorly, experience digestive distress, or be generally sickly.
One reason may be toxic metals like:
These toxic metals can cause or contribute to a long list of diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain and neurological disorders. While the medical establishment recognizes the acute toxicity that comes from high levels of metals in your body, far more people suffer the adverse effects of low-level, chronic exposure.
Most people are absolutely clueless about just how toxic mercury is. It is toxic at one in one billion-part quantities. That is about the same concentration of one grain of salt in one swimming pool. That is why having mercury fillings is such a major challenge to your health.
Heavy metal toxicity, just like chemical toxicity, has become one of the most pressing health hazards of our day. Your body is assailed by chemicals and heavy metals on a daily basis, oftentimes from the most innocent-looking sources, from your everyday cookware to your child’s rubber ducky.
It has now gotten to the point where babies are being BORN toxic due to the toxic load of their mothers. A 2004 study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that blood samples from newborns contained an average of 287 toxins, including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides and Teflon chemicals.
Despite these dire warning signs, giant corporations and industry advocates like DuPont and The American Chemistry Council are fighting tooth and nail to block any and all proposed bans on toxic agents that happen to be part of their profit-making schemes. According to EnviroBlog, the latest army of lobbyists is trying to crush U.S. Senate Bill 1313, which calls for a ban of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in concentrations exceeding 0.1 percent from food packaging, for example.
And California State Senate Bill 1713, which would ban BPA from baby bottles and toys, is also under attack by hired guns who are trying to scare everyone into believing this bill will put an end to all canned and jarred goods.
If there ever was a time to get more involved in the political process – as these are serious survival issues -- now might be a good time.
How Do You Know if You’re Suffering from Heavy Metal Toxicity?
Acute heavy metal toxicity is a lot easier to diagnose than that of chronic exposure. Indications of acute toxicity include:
Symptoms of toxic build-up due to chronic heavy metal exposure, however, are much more subtle, in large part because these symptoms are so “common,” such as:
Sound like anyone you know?
Add to that your exposure to toxic fluoride in your municipal drinking water, which actually increases your body’s uptake of aluminum, in addition to all the other health damaging effects it has in and of itself, and it’s no wonder you’re feeling less than great.
Why is Your Diet so Important When it Comes to Heavy Metal Detox?
In addition to limiting your exposure to toxic metals, which I will go over shortly, you need to focus on eating a healthy diet, preferably based on your nutritional type to reap the maximum overall health benefits.
The Weston A. Price diet recommendations, which were written in 1920 and still, like all truths, hold true today, includes these timeless guidelines:
As Dr. Daniel et.al. explain in this article, optimal nutrition is essential when dealing with heavy metal toxicity because if you are deficient in essential metals, your body will use toxic heavy metals as “stand-ins” instead. For example:
Secondly, you also need vital nutrients to aid your natural detoxification process.
A lot more information about this subject will be discussed in my upcoming Inner Circle interview with Dr. Kaayla Daniel, co-author of the article above and the book, The Whole Soy Story, which I recently reviewed in my brand new Book Reviews column.
I also highly recommend subscribing to the Weston A. Price Foundation’s journal, Wise Traditions. This quarterly journal is dedicated to exploring the scientific validation of dietary, agricultural and medical traditions throughout the world. It features informative and thought-provoking articles on current scientific research; human diets; non-toxic agriculture; and holistic therapies. It also offers sources for organic foods that have been conscientiously grown and processed.
You can find their membership form at this link.
Guidelines for Reducing Your Heavy Metal Exposure
It may seem like a fight you’re destined to lose, however I firmly believe you can reduce you exposure to heavy metals quite dramatically, thereby giving your body a fighting chance to eliminate accumulated toxins and restore health.
These guidelines can help limit your exposure:
JaySee,The reason why DMSA and other aggressive chelation methods do not work well is that they simply do not take into consideration the individual needs of the body. A one size fit all approach does not work well at all, especially when it comes to being certain that metals are coming out. There is no simple answer I can give you as far as what remedy to use as it all depends on the Testing. I have anywhere between 30-50 awesome products that that I draw from that can do the job and my testing determines the one or two that is perfectly matched for the individual. For ex. I have many autism and MS patients that are all doing incredibly well but they are all on somewhat of a different program often with very different remedies because their individual biological needs must be considered and it is my testing which determines exactly what products to use along with testing their current state of health, mineral levels, etc. If I just guessed what product to use and put everyone on the same thing (which is what most are trained to do) my results would be very poor. I used to do this and that is the reason why a shotgun approach like DMSA often has poor outcomes. Some get better if you‘re lucky but most do not. I see an awful lot of patients that have been down this road before seeing me but yet they still have very high levels of metals in their body. It all comes down to the Testing which includes being screened for 16 metals (aluminum, arsenic, antimony, cadmium, chromium, copper, gold, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, silver, tin, titanium, zinc). This way there is absolutely no guessing, hoping, or praying that the metals will come out. This really is a major breakthrough in natural healing.
That is a shame that every case you have had did not receive help from DMSA or EDTA. Having done both myself and also having been diagnosed with Lyme, I found that both treatments helped me immensely (EDTA chelation and DMSA).
My levels are no longer high and I had chelation several years ago. I get tested yearly, still levels are looking good compared to what they were prior to chelation. And my chelation doc does use different formulations for each individual.
For testing do you have to be examined in person, or can this be done over the phone?
I live on the West Coast. If in person, can you please post a referral to
someone in CA who does this sort of testing? I did chelation many years ago (1999-2002)
but it only lessened my toxic load by 1%. Huge of waste of money and time (had to drive
45 minutes to see doctor, O/V's not covered by iinsurance). Don't want to go down that road
again, though after a DMPS provoke test in late June, my mercury level still came up at 14.
Many thanks.
This is knowledge we all need to be aware of, and again the normal or run of the mill medicine is out to lunch. How in God's name do they continue to get away with deceiving people? Do they not have anything resembling a heart?
This is why I wish we had a ground roots movement for the people to demand that somehow all Doctors deal with these toxins. Something like medical competition, and gravatate awawy from this single minded approach to healthcare. Every kind of illness that is connected with toxic metals, should be a thing of the past. Why are they not? Could it be there is more MONEY in allowing an illness to just linger? You know all these foundations that raise millions each year for this illness, and that. MONEY is more important than the well being or even the lives of human beings. And remember when these foundations raise money, only a small percentage actually goes for research. Guess where the larger part goes?
I am very glad to see that such centers as the Nutritional Healing Centers exist, because God knows without such centers we would be truly lost. Glad to see someone cares.
NHC, what are your thoughts on the 'what to do about deodorant' situation? I switched about two years ago to using a rock crystal deodorant, but I fear that a decade of using aluminium-filled 'normal' ones could have potentially left two aluminium-filled breasts and upped my chances of that dreaded disease. Is there anything women can do to specifically get rid of that load? Foods, exercises, whatever it may be? And are there specific tests for it?
THANKS NHC, +1 POINT TO YOU. I LIVE IN HAWAII, DO YOU HAVE A HAWAII CONTACT THAT YOU RECOMEND. IF NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR WEB SITE. ALSO EVERYONE ELSE THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSITE, GREAT ARTICLE.
Hi, I read your post and I'm curious about the other form of metal cleansing you spoke of that is better than chelation therapy. I have had the metals removed from my mouth and I had the intraveinous chelation. I felt marvelous for about 2 years. Just recently, I noticed that my hair is falling out again. This was the first symptom that I previously noticed that got my attention in the first place. If there is a better method, I would love to hear about it.
Curious7, considering they call us "useless eaters" I'm guessing they don't have much in the way of a heart.
NHC,If heavy metals like iron and zinc are toxic why do health food stores sell them as supplements?
This is interesting. This is the first time I've heard of "Muscle Response Testing" and "Nutrition Response Testing." I agree that chelation can be dangerous, though. I recently wrote a book (Genetic Heavy Metal Toxicity: Explaining SIDS, Autism, Tourette's, Alzheimer's and Other Epidemics) regarding how toxic metals have actually affected genetics, and so basically people are passing on the disorders and diseased conditions that result from toxicity, due to epigenetics and genetic mutations. If some changes aren't made very soon, we're doomed to self-destruct.
I read this article with great interest as I am on the verge of going the DMSA route. After having read your info here I now am even more confused about the way forward- I have all the symptoms of Mercury overload, but not sure what to do. I live up in Montana, who could I contact to receive some treatment, what about muscle testing/ kinesiology, as ther is a good practitioner here??
Help!!!!
What you say makes a lot of sense. Perhaps I should visit your clinic. Are you experienced in treating chronic fatigue? I suspect I have a lot factors going on which are mild by themselves, but together add up to create chronic fatigue. Heavy metal toxicity may be just one piece of the puzzle. I'm currently looking for a doctor who can help me, not just draw blood and tell me I'm in the "normal" range based on the basic tests. Thanks.
Check this out.Very interesting.
www.miraclemineral.org/part1.php
How do you find a Dr. that does Muscle Response Testing, specifically Nutrition Response Testing? Is this covered by most insurance?
Tks, Maria
In 1970 as part of processing to go to Vietnam (US Army - I was drafted) we all were required to take off our shirts, and walk through a hut about 9 foot by 14 foot. One either side of the quonset hut was three or four people, each of them had the "latest" air gun for giving hypodermic injections ("shots"). As we all walked through the room, in each arm, almost at the same time, FSST FSST FSST they gave us shots. In each arm, I probably got 15-20 shots, a total of 30-40 shots. All that in just 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Memory fades, it has been a long time ago.
What were they doing? Was that many shots necessary to go to Vietnam? What WERE they? Why would MDs DO that? Why would a country treat their soldiers that way? Why? I now have learned all those shots certainly were loaded with mercury Would that explain the brain damage I suffered (I was told this by a "spiritual" psychic after I got out) the decline in cognition skills I suffered, WHAT were they thinking? After I got out of the Army, not knowing about the mercury poisoning from shots, I became preoccupied with detox. Wheatgrass, fasting,etc. People thought I was weird, but I know I was just intuitively trying to heal.
Ever since then, every moment, every second both my upper arms ache. Whenever I put my mind there, it aches. That's after almost 40 years since all those shots. I never used drugs, or drank, not once, yet I got accused of that after returning from Nam. People could "see" it in me.
Sray, your post brought tears to my eyes. It's heartbreaking to read about the disregard our country had (and still has) for the young men and women who are gobbled up by the military. I'm sorry to hear that people blamed your post-war health problems on drug and alcohol abuse. Are you getting results with the detox programs you have tried? I hope your healing journey is filled with successes. You are in the right place on this website!
Sray, I am so sorry you were abused like that all for the government's financial gain at the end of the day. Bastards! I pray for your healing-physical, spiritual and mental. That is nothing short of abuse.
Tricia
They did the same thing to me in the 60's when I went to Ft. Ord California for boot camp training, and I was only in the National Guard! One of the guys with the "shot guns" didn't have a very steady hand, and after I got my injections, I noticed BLOOD running down my arm - he had literally slashed me with that thing! That was 46 years ago, and I still have a 2-inch scar from it.
They also made us swallow sugar cubes saturated with the Salk vaccine.
People in the military are used as guinea pigs for Big Pharma to play with.
If mercury is so toxic in such tiny amounts why do people who have amalgum fillings and thymerisol vaccines from *** years live so long?
Sray, from a former Navy corpsman to a fellow vet - sorry about the shots, we did that because we were ordered to. Most of us didn't know ourselves what was in those shots, and all of us were brainwashed and "under the gun."
May I suggest that you look into EFT for the lingering effects of that experience? I'm not saying it's "all in your head" - it isn't - but my gut instinct tells me you could benefit greatly from EFT. (Specifically for the aching in your upper arms, I believe you could clear that completely.) EFT is easy to learn & use, and has helped many, many vets to finally heal.
The most obvious solution to me is to *not* cook food ;)
I'm doing some investigation and experimentation with raw foods right now so it is at the top of my mind.
As far as cookware, after researching quite a bit, I've gone back to using primarily cast iron. I still use a couple of stainless pans for things like rice and noodles. I use pottery for the rare baking that I do. Really probably 85% of my heated cooking is in cast iron. I'm doing less and less heated cooking however.